Dementia carer’s tax relief plea to MPs
“DEMENTIA tore our world apart,” says Derek Brown, the devoted husband and carer for his wife Margaret, who is now campaigning for the fair payment of council tax discounts to pensioners with the condition.
Leading charity Alzheimer’s Society is backing his petition for a change in the law, that sees 150,000 people in the UK losing up to £3,000 of tax relief just because of where they live.
Qualification for the discount can start from when a GP certifies a patient’s diagnosis (severe mental impairment) or from when they receive a state benefit, usually attendance allowance, when they have reached state pension age. This involves filling in a 31-page form and a wait of six months or more.
At present it is up to councils to decide when to offer relief. Many families are unaware of it, so never apply.
Derek, 70, tried and failed to get Hambleton District Council, his authority in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, to backdate the discount to when Margaret was diagnosed, three years ago.
That spurred him to probe deeper. His research, including Freedom of Information requests, found that, “because of the unclear way the law is worded there is inconsistent interpretation,” he says.
“This denies families relief at a crucial time; 255 UK councils start the discount when state benefit is received, while 127 believe it begins with GP certification.”
Ever deeper frustration with the inequalities led to him mounting a High Court challenge, representing himself and facing down a battery of legal top guns. “I was cut short by the judge several times, but I wasn’t crushed, ordinary people should be heard,” he told Crusader.
He lost the case, although was saved from paying ruinous costs. He is now channelling his unstinting efforts into rectifying the anomalies through a petition to get the matter considered by Parliament.
There are more than one million people in the UK with dementia, 950,000 of those aged over 65.
Dementia Action Week, which gives the public the chance to improve the lives of those affected, runs from May 17-23.
“Care for us is round the clock, love is why we do it, we want to stay together in our homes for as long as we can,” declares Derek. “This discount discriminates, it’s wrong.” ●